Koraput: The Dakni Yelangabalsa village, which is now in Andhra Pradesh, belonged to Odisha, said Gadadhar Parida, the former Koraput Collector and Advisor to the Kotia Development Committee, here Tuesday evening.
Around 21 revenue villages of the Kota gram panchayat now in AP also belonged to the state, Parida said at a press meet held at the Tribal Museum here.
Addressing the media, Parida said that two acres in Dakni Yelengabalsa village was brought for Rs 300 and was registered at the Jeypore Sub-Registration Office in the district April 26, 1965.
One Damador belonging to the Kondadora community had brought the two acres in Salur circle. According to the registration documents the village belongs to Odisha, Parida said.
Local residents have alerted the state government about how villages which are now in AP were taken over, Parida added.
Development has taken a back seat in these regions during the last five decades due to the dispute between Odisha and AP.
The AP Government has been taking over border villages like Kotia and Nandapur in Koraput district. It is also intruding into Pandriambaguda in Sadam panchayat exploiting the lack of alertness of its Odisha counterpart.
It is luring Odisha villagers by providing them safe drinking water facilities as the panchayat is just two kilometres away from the AP border. The drinking water project was built by Infosys and Visakha district Nav Nirman Samiti at a cost of Rs 5 lakh.
The Andhra Pradesh Government has named Pandriambaguda as Pandrimamidi and has included it in Visakhapatnam district. Its population of 370 belongs to 80 families.
The Andhra Pradesh Government started constructing the drinking water project in March 2018 and completed it in May 2018.
PNN
